Most Māori adult te reo speakers living with pre-schoolers speak at least some te reo Māori at home to the children, Statistics New Zealand said today.

“A total of 82 percent of Māori adult te reo speakers use some te reo with pre-schoolers living with them,” Statistics NZ Kaihautū Māori Rhonda Paku said. For primary school children, the figure is 79 percent.

“It’s interesting, but not surprising, that wāhine are leading the way in using te reo. Overall, 12 percent of wāhine kōrero te reo very well or well, compared with 9 percent of tāne.

“We see the differences particularly among younger Māori,” Ms Paku said. “Women are often the main parent at home with younger tamariki, and most kaiako teaching te reo are women.”

For Māori aged 15 to 24, wāhine are more likely to speak te reo well or very well, (10 percent compared with 6 percent for men). For Māori aged 24 to 34, 14 percent of wāhine speak te reo well or very well, compared with 7 percent of tāne.